[StBernard] Exxon Said to Shut Chalmette Refinery Cat Cracker for Two Weeks

[Westley Annis]

Exxon Said to Shut Chalmette Refinery Cat Cracker for Two Weeks
By Barbara Powell - Jan 25, 2011 1:59 PM CT

Exxon Mobil Corp. will keep the fluid catalytic cracker at its Chalmette,
Louisiana, refinery shut for about two weeks for unplanned repairs on an
exchanger, according to two people familiar with the plant's operations.

The gasoline-making unit, which can process more than 75,000 barrels a day,
was shut because it can't operate when the exchanger is down, said the
people, who declined to be identified because they aren't authorized to
speak for the plant.

The unit had an outage "early Saturday morning" and remains shut, Kevin
Allexon, a company spokesman, said in an e- mail today. He said he doesn't
know how long the catalytic cracker will be down.

The refinery is a joint venture with Petroleos de Venezuela SA and has a
capacity of 200,700 barrels a day, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.